Mechanism for operating car steps and doors.



J. F. MoE-LROY. MECHANISM FOR OPERATING GAB sTEPs AND DOORS.

PPLICATION FILED DEU. 13, 1907.

atented May 31, 1910.

U111 TEEEEE In ram??? located below useful lmprrn'enients ent elements so pressure when the step is up or down.

3 the car platform, I -adgacent ,ii.aan'ework of the car'intho usual UNITED STATES JAMES F. MCELROY, OF ALBANY,

ING COMPANY, OF ALBANY,

PATENT OFFICE.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING CAR STEPS AND DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 13, 1907.

Patented May 31, 1910. Serial No. 406,263.

To all whom it may concern.-

3e it known that I, JAMES F. MoELRor, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and in .\'lecha nis1ns for Operating (ar Steps and Doors, of which the following is a sp'ei-itication.

This, invention relates to i'neehanism for ope ating adjustable car-steps or conjointly operating car doors and steps and one of its objects is to enable a folding or hinged step to be moved with a small expenditure of power and with an easy and regular motion which will tend to prevent slaunning, especially when the same motor is employed to operate both the step and'thc car door.

Another object is to furnish connections of a simplified nature between the step and its operating motor such that the motor may have a motion additional to or greater in extent than that required to operate the step which extra motion may be a part of that required to give the door its full travel.

"The connection between the motor and step preferably includes one or more resilidisposed as to remain under y invention 'further involves the disposal of the door and step connections in a novel manner with respect to the motor in order that the motor may separately operate these members andiri order that the connectionsthemselves maybe more compactly arranged in an out-of -the-Way position.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a mechanism embodying my invention for operating car steps and doors. Fig. '2'represents a plan view thereof. Fig.- 3 represents a vertical section of the motor. Fig. 4 represents a horizontal section of the telescopio'connec.-' tion between motor and step;

In-tlie drawings ltl is the framing of the car, 11 isa zasliding door and 12 is a step the door-opening and' made 1110 and out of operative posiy nging it at l3 to fold=down into a llQlflVi'Ol-l'lltl.:POSlli011 when the door is. open or 111to.; an-upright position when the door is closed. {This step is astair step enabling the passenger -t'ochi-11b to '01- and itis supported by the manner to bear the passengers weight-when extended. A bracket leton the ste connected by a rod 15 with an armed lever 17 which may be pivoted as shown on one of the uprights of the car framing, just above the sills and'next to the outer sheathing of the car body. \Vhen the step is down the arm 16 and rod 15 have a considerable angle so thatwl'wn the arm is swung upwardly to raise the step its are of motion nearly in line with the rod and the move iiientfio'f the step takes place quickly 'e" ly uniform angular movement of A secol'id 'arrn 18 on the lever 17 is attached to a rod' 19 having a head 20 between which and one of the beams of the car body is interposed a spring 21 having an adjustcounterbalance 'the weight of the step. I could of course-arrange the counterbalance in someother position or employ an equivalentfor the spring. 21. i The adjustment 39 enables the spring tension to be regulated according to the normal weight of the step or to allow for any change of weight such as would be caused by adding or removing a leaden tread. The use of a counterbalance as described permits the employment of a smaller operating motorthan would other wise be required since practically the only resistance to be overcome isthat of friction, and italso conduces to asmooth working of the step and of both the step and the door when these are operated by the same motor as hereinafter described. In such acase, when the door performs part of its move- ,ment. without an. accompanying movement of the step, the motion teiidst. e or slackened wliel'rthexs'tepb if'its weight not counterbalanced,- and thereafter when the step is in" motion the step and door tend to complete their movement with a slam. The counterbalance ovcrcgn'ies this tendency in an effective manner and enables the entire movement'of the door and step to be accomplished more smoothly.

A third arm 22 on lever 17 isconnected by a rod 23 with a pivotal point 24 on an o 4 crating lever 25/ As shown in Fig; 3 t e. fulcrum shaft 26 of this lever has a gear segment 2T'meshing with-a complemental end of a short lever 29 1 segment 2Bo'nthe n which is engaged by the'oommon stem. of

two diaphragms 3.0,;30, the whole consti arm 16 or a three mg nut 39, thc etfeet of this spring being totedt m re;

i about 104 and during the first completes the'closing movement offthe door 5 23 contains a telescopic joint 32 shown in de tail in Fig. 4: and lncluding a sleeve 33 on the rod section which is connected with lever 25, and a head 34 on the rod section which is connected with lever 17. In said sleeve is a s ring. 35 ressing in a direction to shorten t e rod an a spring 36 pressing in the opposite direction to lengthen the rod. In the rod 23 is shown a turn-buckle 37 for adjusting its length, although this is not essential. The long arm of lever 25. is connected by a rod 38 with the rear edge of the door 11.

When the operating lever 25 has the position shown in Fig. l the radius from ful- 26 0mm 26 to point 24 which is the mechanical lever arm connecting with rod 23, is-substantially parallel with or doubled on said rod. The spring 35 is then under tension and tends to hold the step 12 down in horizontal position and to hold the operating shown in Fig. 1 so that no exertion of air pressure is needed to keep the step down and the door open. With the relations and dimensions here given, lever 25 has an arc of movement of I art of this movement to the le from t e position shown in 1 the point 24 is rising on a nearly vertical are which would have no substantial efiectin raising the step 12 even i if the telescopic joint 32 were omitted and therod 23 rigid. The "first half of the swing of lever 25 to the left is devoted to moving the door 11 without raisin sionby a shortening o pression is then exerted on said rod against the resistance. of spring 36 to swing the three-armed lever 17 and lift the'step .12 in'to its upright folded position where, it is iects-and cannot be used by passengers, This atter half of the movement of lever 25 also Hand when the door is closed andthe step -folded up the spring 36 may be under some compression from the'motor to hold said step in its upright position. Both of the sprlngs 35, 36 tend to'insure the seating of t e step against its stops at the two extremev positionsl If desired, the pressure of spring 21 may be so adjusted as 'to slightly pro dispose the step to rise,and in that case no "pressure from the motor 31 is required to start the ste from its horizontalposition. In openihg't e door the movements are, the ireverse at a and the-step 12 being depresse lever 25 in its most retracted position as the step, but... when the door is about hal closed and the point 24: has entered on a more horizontal are of movement the spring 35 loses its ten the rod 23and comout ofdanger of ;contact with external ob-' hose described lever 25 swing1n w es 5 into operative position durin the first part of the o ening movement 0 the door, the latter ha 1 of said movement taking'placc without further moving the step but serving to ]put sharing 35 under compression.

t wi be seen that the operating'lever 25 on the. motor shaft has independent connections. with the door and with the stepso that should it be desired to operate, either the door or the step independently the connection with the other member can simply be disabled. I consider this an advantage in theway of simplicity and compactness, the connections all being at a low point and out of the Way as will be noted, with ,the motor 31 preferably under oneofthe car seats. In

case the door should become jammed or otherwise disabled requiring it to be operated by hand or left open, the step may still be operated by the motor since its connection to the motor is independent of the door, and the step in such a case could also be left permanently in a lowered position without destroying its connection with the motor.

I claim 1 In combination, a hinged step having counterbalancing means which substantiall neutralizes the effect of the weight of the step in. resisting pivotal movement, a door,

a device for conjointly operating the door and step, and connections whereby the door is caused to perform the first part of its closing movement without substantial movement of the step, The coml'rlhat-ion of acar-body, a door mounted. slide longitudinally of said body, a step hinged at its rear edge to move into, aninoperative upright position or an operative horizontal position, connections for raislng and lowerlng the step, a motor, a

lever, oscillated thereby in a plane parallel to that of the door and separate rods 38 and ,23 connecting said '3. In combinat1on, an adjustable step, a motor therefor, and a connection between the motor and step including a spring.

4. In combination, a door, an adjustable ste'p, operating rods for said door and step, and an operating lever having an arm con- .nected with the door operatlng rod at a 'point whose arc of movement is substantially in line with the rod and a second arm connected with the step-operating-rod at a point whose arc of movement is. partly across said rod and partly in substantial line therewith.

lever with the door and V. the step-operating connections respectively.-

5. In combination, a door, an adjustable step, operating rods for said door and step, and an operating lever having an arm consecond arm connected with the step-operating rod andsubstantially parallel therewith when the door isfully open. V

6.111 combination, a door, an adjustable nected with the door-operating rod and a" crating device,

step, an 0 crating device for said door and step, a te escopie connection 'between said (levice'and U open after the step is extended, and a spring in said connection put under pressure by the lzl l part of the door-opening movement.

7. In combination, an adjustable step, an operating device therefor and operatingconnection including under pressure when the step is extended so as to hold it in extended position.

8. In combination, an adjustable step, an extensible operating rod therefor, a spring a spring put put under pressure by extension of said rod.

and an operating stantially parallel step is extended.

t). In combination, a folding step, an op erating device therefor, a counter-balancing device, and a lever having three arms connected respectively with the step, the opand the counter-balancing lever having an arm sub with s d rod when the device. 7

10. In combination, a hinged car-step, a counterbalanci-ng device therefor, means for adjusting power of said-device, a fluid the pressure motor for swinging the step into an extensible and out of usable position, and a door also operated by said motor.

11. In combination, a hinged car-step, a fluid-pressure motor for swinging said step into and out of usable position, a spring for counterbalancing the weight of the step and decreasing the resistance imposed on the motor, and means for adjusting the pressure of said spring to compensate for Weight added to or taken from the step.

12. In combination on a car, a door, a"

hinged stair 'step mounted below the doorway for permitting the passengers to scend to or descend from the car platform, a fiuidpressure motor connected to ope ate said door and step,- and resilient means in the connection between said motor and step for permitting the door to move after the step has reached either of its extreme positions.

In testimony whereof I- have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, the 9th day of December, 1.907.

JAMES F. MCELROY. Witnesses BEULAl-I CARLE, .VJILI'JIAM A. MonRILL, Jr. 

